In The News

Plattsburgh Press Republican

SARANAC LAKE — A tour of the St. Joseph’s Veterans Program gave Congresswoman Elise Stefanik a chance to meet with veterans recovering from PTSD and addiction.

She toured the Col. C. David Merkel residence halls here Wednesday and discussed successes and challenges with staff and residents.

ATMOSPHERE CITED

One of the veterans in residence told Stefanik how welcoming this treatment center is compared with other programs he experienced through the Veterans Administration.

St. Joe’s, he said, is more in-depth, more familial and more relaxing. And being in a house with other warriors working through similar issues with addiction and post traumatic stress disorder has proved healing in itself.

Another veteran who recently completed treatment at St. Joe's said it was important to be treated like a person, not like a patient or a dollar sign.

NEW PROGRAM

St. Joe’s program for vets was established last year through the neighboring Rehabilitation and Treatment facility with support from New York’s Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services.

It is not a product of the federal VA program but does work through outreach from the VA.

CHANGES TOO SLOW

Stefanik (R-Willsboro) spoke at length about changes ongoing at the Veterans Administration, which was subject to federal audit and overhaul this past year.

Change is happening, she said, through the Choice and Accountability Act, a measure designed to increase care options for veterans, adding more timely treatment closer to home.

“But it’s not happening quickly enough,” Stefanik said.

Changes put in place so far aren’t working, she said, and the quality of care available is “not up to par."

The sheer logistics of rewiring an archaic system seems to be more of a stumbling block than proviso.

ACCESS TO CARE

In the North Country, a critical problem exists with travel time and distance.

“The difficulty they (veterans) have to go through to access care is challenging,” she said, especially from the North Country, where the closest VA center is two or more hours away in Albany.

“They are driving by local hospitals on the way to the VA (center),” Stefanik said.

Her solution would come as new legislation allowing “common sense” access to local hospitals for veterans medical care.

At St. Joe’s, Chief Financial Officer Russell Cronin underscored the problem.

“Our clients have to go all the way to Albany,” he said.

But St. Joe’s is working with Adirondack Medical Center in Saranac Lake, looking to add the hospital to the VA provider's list.

Federal regulations determine mileage between providers, Cronin explained.

With a Veterans Clinic is Saranac Lake that offers some outpatient services, Cronin said, there has not been room for another “provider” under the current rules.

SEQUESTRATION IMPACT

Along with institutional changes to the VA, funding for military training has been threatened by sequestration policy that Congress put in place in 2011.

Sequestration requires arbitrary and automatic spending cuts throughout the federal budget.

The plan has threatened closure or cuts at nearby Fort Drum, along with all major military bases in the United States.

Asked if and when Congress will redress sequestration measures, Stefanik said she has been active in the Defending Defense Coalition, a think-tank looking to end arbitrary budget cuts.

“I’m confident that this year we can get rid of sequestration,” she said.

The congresswoman, who serves on the Armed Services Committee, said she didn’t vote with her party on the first House budget allocation for military spending. She did vote for the second House plan that matched funding levels requested by President Barack Obama.

Across-the-board cuts by sequestration affect the ability of the U.S. military to properly train personnel, she said.

“That translates into lives and limbs on the battlefield,” Stefanik said.

The tour and discussion at St. Joe's was Stefanik’s second stop Wednesday, though both revolved around concerns of North Country veterans. The first was a roundtable discussion in Tupper Lake.

INTEGRATED TREATMENT

At St. Joe’s, Program Director Zachary Randolph described success they’ve achieved working with three phases of treatment for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and addiction.

Even when the warriors have completed their program at St. Joe's, Randolph said, “they still have resources here which really allow them to reintegrate.”

St. Joe’s inpatient program for veterans opened last July. So far, 18 clients have been in residence, with six having completed the program.

Watertown Daily Times

Rep. Elise Stefanik has spent much of this month advocating to save Fort Drum from sequestration cuts. She also announced her support for a proposed New York Winter Olympic bid and skied during Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Winter Challenge.

Fort Drum could lose up to 16,000 military and civilian jobs if sequestration –– automatic congressional budget cuts –– remains in effect. The Republican from Willsboro said the loss of those jobs would have a severe effect on the New York economy and the military’s ability to protect the U.S.

“This has been a really important month for Fort Drum,” Stefanik said.

Once taking office, Stefanik quickly made Fort Drum a priority. She asked the entire New York congressional delegation to sign a letter outlining the importance of the north country’s military base, and they all signed on.

Stefanik said she discussed the statewide economic impact and the importance the post has for training the National Guard, when lobbying her colleagues.

“It’s very hard in Congress to get agreement on issues,” she said.

The letter was then delivered to Secretary of Defense Ash Carter, who will visit Fort Drum on Monday.

“I’m looking forward to welcoming Secretary Carter on Monday when he visits,” Stefanik said. “I think it’s a great opportunity for Fort Drum.”

Foreign policy was a major topic of discussion at the beginning of March, when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke before a joint session of Congress –– something the congresswoman called a historic occasion.

Stefanik said Netanyahu’s speech was important for the world to hear, and she shares his concerns about Iran possibly getting a nuclear weapon.

“I think it’s important when we consider U.S. foreign policy,” she said of the speech. “The United States and Israel have a special relationship.”

She was disappointed that President Barrack Obama’s administration did not meet with the prime minister while in Washington.

Stefanik mingled with state leaders on March 9 when she attended Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Adirondack Winter Challenge, an event meant to promote tourism throughout the Adirondacks. She was there with many other state officials and legislators, including many from downstate and local ones like state Sen. Betty Little and Assemblyman Dan Stec, both Republicans from Queensbury.

Stefanik, an avid skier, said she grew up going to Gore and Whiteface Mountain ski centers. She went to Whiteface this month with her father, Ken Stefanik.

Cuomo hands out lighthearted, and often tongue-and-cheek awards during each challenge, and this year Stefanik won the best alpine skier award, which made her father proud.

“I was really excited to be invited,” she said. “Sen. Little and I both sat at a table with Gov. Cuomo, and north country tourism is an issue we can agree on.”

Stefanik said the governor has done a good job raising awareness of north country tourism.

This month Stefanik also came out in support of a regional Winter Olympic bid proposal for New York. The bid proposal, in its early stages, centers around the two-time Olympic host Lake Placid and surrounding upstate cities.

The effort is being led by Essex County and local Lake Placid leaders, who are aiming for the 2026 Winter Olympics. The group, including Essex County Supervisor Randy Douglas, lobbied Stefanik this month, meeting in her Washington office to discuss the idea.

Stefanik said she will work to make sure it’s a serious bid.

“I think support will continue to grow,” she said. “I think it’s a unique way to market New York as a whole.”

“I’m open to it,” Cuomo said at the Adirondack Winter Challenge. “It’s a lot of work, but it would be a great opportunity.”

Stefanik also weighed in on a more controversial issue this month –– the resignation of Rep. Aaron Schock, a Republican from Illinois. He resigned following news reports questioning mileage reimbursements and gifts he received.

Stefanik said Schock, who became the center of a debate about internal ethics rules for lawmakers in Washington, did the right thing resigning. Congress should maintain the “highest degree of ethics,” she said.

The congresswoman decided at the beginning of this session –– before the news broke about Schock –– not to collect mileage reimbursements.

“I view it (driving) as part of the job,” she said.

Watertown Daily Times

CLAYTON — Representatives from four upstate congressional districts showed their support for Fort Drum on Thursday during a reception at the Antique Boat Museum — a feat Rep. Elise M. Stefanik, R-Willsboro, called “historic.”

“One of the things that I’ve learned after being in Congress for slightly over two months is that it’s hard to get four members of Congress in one place, especially if it’s outside three of their districts, so this is a huge sign of historic support for Fort Drum’s presence in upstate New York,” Ms. Stefanik said during her remarks to community leaders in the museum’s Elizabeth and Bolling Haxall Building.

The event preceded today’s rally and listening session during which Army officials will see and hear from an anticipated 3,000 attendees at Jefferson Community College, Watertown.

Reps. Chris Gibson, R-Kinderhook, John Katko, R-Syracuse, and Richard Hanna, R-Syracuse, attended the event along with Ms. Stefanik. The three congressmen will not attend the listening session, though they have issued statements that Ms. Stefanik will read during the event. They also signed a letter, along with the other members of New York’s congressional delegation, that was sent to Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter on Thursday.

The signs of support were encouraging, according to public officials who attended the event, but the post does face challenges as the Army looks to slash troop levels across the country, due in large part to sequestration cuts in the federal budget.

Ms. Stefanik and her Republican colleagues responded to a question about balancing the GOP’s competing priorities of balancing the budget and promoting a strong national defense by replacing the sequester.

“All of us are united that sequestration is devastating our nation’s military,” Ms. Stefanik said. “We are working as a coalition of upstate New York members to make sure we replace the sequester. I believe that we are the party of a strong national defense. I believe it is a priority in our nation to make sure that our Defense Department is funded to our 21st century national security challenges.”

Secretary Carter, who was appointed by President Barack Obama in February, said during a House Armed Services Committee meeting Wednesday that he would support a presidential veto of any congressional budget plan that leaves sequestration in place, even if the Department of Defense gets the funding it wants in this year’s budget.

“We need the end of sequestration across the board,” Mr. Carter said, according to the Army Times. “What we need for defense ... is stability.”

Mr. Carter’s statements were met with criticism from House Republicans, many of whom have pushed to boost the military budget while leaving other spending caps in place, the Army Times said.

It was not immediately apparent whether the policy of which Ms. Stefanik spoke would address Mr. Carter’s concerns.

Mr. Gibson, who was stationed at Fort Drum during his 24-year career in the Army, addressed questions about responding to terrorist threats such as the Islamic State even as public support for prolonged ground conflicts overseas has diminished over more than a decade of war in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“The question is, what’s the smart way to address this?” Mr. Gibson said. “I would tell you that we always reserve the right to act, immediately and unilaterally, if we ascertain intelligence that there’s an attack that’s imminent for our country. But at the moment, the intelligence community says that they (ISIS) do not have that capability.”

Mr. Gibson said that restricting the ability of ISIS to recruit and raise funds, as well as providing material support and training support to Iraqi and Kurdish fighters and their allies in the region, is a way to contain the growth of the militant group.

Mr. Katko, a member of the Committee on Homeland Security, said Fort Drum and the 10th Mountain Division, if staffed and supported adequately, could play a crucial role in responding to the ever-changing security situation.

“Fort Drum is the antidote for crisis,” Mr. Katko said. “They are ready to go at a moment’s notice.”

Also attending Thursday’s event were state Sens. Patricia A. Ritchie, R-Heuvelton, and Elizabeth O’C. Little, R-Queensbury, as well as Assemblywoman Addie J. Russell, D-Theresa, and Assemblyman Kenneth D. Blankenbush, R-Black River. Sens. Ritchie and Little, along with more than 30 other members of the state Senate, signed a letter to the New York congressional delegation supporting Fort Drum. U.S. Sens. Kirsten E. Gillibrand and Charles E. Schumer both prepared video statements to be delivered at the listening session.

Watertown Daily Times

Canadian and U.S. officials are working to pass legislation in both countries to offer a preclearance process and reduce wait times for travelers at border-crossing areas.

Canadian Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Steven Blaney and Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson recently signed an agreement that would allow security agents from each nation to establish checkpoints on the other’s soil. They would conduct immigration, customs and agricultural inspections for people planning to cross the border by air, boat, land and rail. Preclearance of these individuals could reduce the time for others to cross the border.

Any measure that would uphold the security of each nation while making border crossing a faster process is worthwhile. The plan would need to be approved by both the Canadian Parliament and U.S. Congress.

“This landmark agreement is welcome news for our north country community,” U.S. Rep. Elise M. Stefanik, R-Willsboro, said in a statement supporting the proposal. “In addition to helping increase efficiency along our northern border, this agreement will help increase trade with our Canadian neighbors. This is good for our north country economy and for hard-working north country families.”

“Garry Douglas, president of the North Country Chamber of Commerce, said in a prepared statement that the agreement announced Monday is welcome news for the organization that has pushed for the preclearance of New York-bound Amtrak passengers from Montreal, who frequently encounter long waits at the Champlain border crossing,” according to a story Tuesday in the Watertown Daily Times. “In addition to preclearance for Amtrak passengers, Mr. Douglas said in his statement that the agreement will allow officers from both sides of the border to ‘co-staff’ and operate small, rural crossings, jointly clearing traffic in both directions. This would save resources for both countries while securing the future of the many small crossings in the north country which, while being low-volume crossings, ‘represent important connections between rural communities,’ Mr. Douglas said. He said the pact also creates the possibility of the Canada Border Services Agency locating operations at the crossing between Massena and Cornwall, Ontario, ‘enhancing flow at this important north country gateway.’”

It’s in everyone’s interest to conduct inspections at the border that effectively maintain our security. At the same time, streamlining the process is vital to ensuring that travel between the two nations for commerce and tourism is less of a problem.

This agreement is a positive step toward that goal. It’s good that Ms. Stefanik supports this plan, and residents should encourage her along with U.S. Sens. Kirsten E. Gillibrand and Charles E. Schumer to pursue its passage.